BUSINESS PLANNING IN A CRISIS SESSION CONTENT

Taking stock – what are your key issues Key purpose and organisational priorities Finances Operations TAKING STOCK KEY ISSUES — TAKING A BREATH

What are your key issues? Well - being of staff and volunteers What do you want the outcomes of this period to be? What steps have you taken already? Looking ahead – what’s your plan for the future? ORGANISATIONAL PRIORITIES PLANNING IN A CRISIS

Plans are about immediacy – they will change rapidly, but have a plan and review and update it.

What are you priorities now?

Who is in your team and what are their roles?

How can decisions be made?

How are you identifying and managing risk?

Accurate and current information will help you to plan? What information do you have available to support this?

Be realistic about what you can and want to achieve?

Understand who your stakeholders are and their needs

Communication - how will you communicate with stakeholders, funders, audiences? And what will you be communicating? WHAT DOES YOUR CURRENT FORWARD PLAN SAY?

A forward or business plan covers the current and subsequent planning year.

Your museum must plan effectively for the long-term and be able to adapt in a changing environment.

Your forward or business plan should be approved by your governing body and should:

- include a statement of purpose for your museum
- be explicit about the period the plan covers
- state the key aims you want to achieve over the plan’s duration
- explain how you’ll achieve these aims
- explain what you’ll need to achieve these aims, including people, equipment and money
- include budgets for the current and subsequent planning year
- include the plan’s next review date

Realign your current plan STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

Health and wellbeing

Staying in touch – how can you do this during the current crisis?

Understanding different needs of staff and volunteers?

Are staff home working?

How can you maintain your volunteer base for the future?

Training and development FINANCES (1)

Understand and continue to manage information about finances

Manage your cash flow – where are the pressure points – how long can you continue operating for?

What is the impact of reduced income? And how can you mitigate this?

What are your fixed costs?

Do you have contracts in place?

Will you need to think about staff redeployment and/or redundancies?

What are your reserves looking like? Do you have ‘restricted’ funds – can these be accessed?

Are there any payments you can delay?

Are you owed money? – invoice for what you are owed and follow up any funds currently owing FINANCES (2)

Are you eligible for support from Government/HMRC i.e. through the Job Retention Scheme, business support, VAT etc., [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/financial-support-for-businesses-during-coronavirus-covid-19)

Will you be applying for emergency funding from ACE and NLHF or a small grant from MDEM?

Do you have loans/mortgages and can you negotiate with the lender for more favourable payment terms?

Are you receiving grant funding, speak to the funder if you are unable to deliver the outcomes, submit reports and payment requests on time.

Are you able to repurpose a grant?

Will the bank provide an overdraft?

Check out information on the MDEM website [https://mdem.org.uk/](https://mdem.org.uk/) and Association of independent museums website [https://www.aim-museums.co.uk/coronavirus-resources/](https://www.aim-museums.co.uk/coronavirus-resources/) FINANCES (3) — INCOME GENERATION

Where are your income sources and what are the options now?

- Entrance fees
- Hires and lettings
- Schools
- Shop
- Cafe
- Memberships
- Friends groups
- Fundraising

Understand the finances and the impact reduced income will have - accurately articulate your position to funders and supporters. OPERATIONS SITE MAINTENANCE

General maintenance and site checking for security and environmental monitoring,

Are you using your emergency plan?

Management and care of collections

Loan agreements and contractual requirements – speak to the lenders and agree a way forward.

Are staff working from home - can time be spent productively on developing resources and or updating policies and plans? NCVO has removed its paywall and has useful resources [https://www.ncvo.org.uk/](https://www.ncvo.org.uk/)

Collections Trust has a range of information to support museums [https://collectionstrust.org.uk/collections-in-lockdown/](https://collectionstrust.org.uk/collections-in-lockdown/) COMMUNICATING IN LOCKDOWN

Focus on your key purpose – what is your immediate plan to deliver this?

What are your key messages? ‘We’re still here. We will be reopening, in the meantime…..’

Who is the audience? Do you have the skills required to deliver what they want/need?

Using information/data you already have to help you plan

▪ What data do you have that can help you make decisions? ▪ Do you have information on your audiences? And people who haven’t used you in the past? ▪ What can you realistically deliver? ▪ Online resources/information/social media ▪ How do you know its working? Are you evaluating it? CREATE A CRISIS ACTION PLAN

Create a plan Priorities and objectives for the crisis period Maintain your risk register Supported by resources and a cashflow Review regularly and check it is working WHAT NEXT? COMING OUT OF LOCKDOWN

Review where you are now? Update your forward/business plan Revisit the key purpose and consider what you want to do now What have you learnt from this period of working differently? What has changed and what are the challenges and opportunities? Set realistic aims and objectives and a timescale that is achievable Consider the finances available to you and your fundraising plan Ensure planning includes business continuity THANK YOU AND STAY WELL CONTACT MDEM FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT MDEM.ORG.UK